A Thief in the Night
by TheCondimentKing
Summary: Chapter 7 up! R/R PLEASE! This is a Left Behind-ish story with my own original characters and plots. PG-13 for violence and graphic images. R/R Please. I will update. This is a multi-chapter story.
1. Default Chapter

OT: Okay, this is a Left Behind-ish story with my own made-up characters and my own spin on what COULD happen in Revelation based on the scriptures. It is a 3- person narrated story. It is narrated by Kyle Taylor, Tim Hamilton, and Lucy Chambers. Enjoy and please R/R if you want me to update.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
  
  
BEEP! BEEP! A tired Kyle Taylor glanced at his watch. 1:00 A.M. Kyle sighed. He actually thought he was going to get some sleep tonight. He rubbed his eyes. He stared at the computer screen, re-reading his column for New York News, the newest competitor to the New York Times. He was staring at the front page of the newspaper two days ahead of time. It was times like this that made him wonder why his best friend and him decided to start this business. He could remember it just like it was yesterday. Pete Johnson and he had just gotten out of college at Syracuse University. They both majored in journalism. They thought that their friendship was pretty much over with college ending. Actually, it was just beginning. He still remembers that day.  
  
"Hello?" Kyle said.  
  
"Hey, Kyle. We need to talk." Pete Johnson said, excitedly.  
  
"Hold on, Pete. How about, 'How are you?'"  
  
"Okay, how are you?"  
  
"We-"  
  
"Good, great."  
  
"Pete!"  
  
"This isn't a social call. Oh my gosh! I can't believe it."  
  
"Okay, Pete. Take it down a couple notches. What is it?"  
  
"I got it!"  
  
"Got what?"  
  
"I got the loan."  
  
"What loan?"  
  
"The loan. You remember, I told you earlier. Maybe not in great detail but I did. I figured that it was a long shot but.."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"Yeah!!!!"  
  
"So? I mean, I am happy for you and all, but what does this have to do with me?"  
  
"It has everything to do with you."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Don't you know what I am going to do with the loan."  
  
Kyle's heart sank.  
  
"No.."  
  
"Yes!!!!!!"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Yes!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Pete!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know we can't survive in the newspaper biz."  
  
"Kyle, I'm trying to make our dream come true."  
  
"Bu---"  
  
"Come on, Kyle. Just listen. I got the loan. We will be able to pay the bank back in no time. I have already leased the building and got it up to code. I've already hired some guys to be on the staff for the month and we will get some responses after we put an ad in the Times about a job opening. I mean, how many people have writing jobs in this town? Practically noone. There is a lot of young talent out there. We would only be tapping the surface. We will get on the map, my friend, and I want you to be my head editor/writer."  
  
"Wow, Pete. I mean, I still don't know about how smart this is, but you seem to have your head above water and I haven't been able to find a job in weeks here. I'm in."  
  
"Great! Great! See you Monday. Uh, my secretary will call later to give the details."  
  
Kyle shook his head. Man, I better stop daydreaming and start proof-reading if this is going to be ready to print by tomorrow, he thought.  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton desperately tried to steady the banner so he could write on it. The big white strip of paper stating in giant letters, Welcome to Youth Revival in bold, dark letters hung in the back of the Youth Group room. The young 25-year-old had always thought that his responsibilities in the church would largely increase when he became the Youth Pastor at Born Again Community Church in New York, but he never thought that he would be staying up this late in the Youth room fixing up for the upcoming week of revival. He had only been Youth Pastor for weeks and already juggled the responsibilities. I can't wait to learn more about the Bible from the evangelist, he thought. Tim planned on hurrying out on Friday so that he could have the weekly outing with his old high school buddies. Good times. Okay, so they were a bit on the rebelish side but hey, that is the price for being popular in school. That meant everything to Tim. He couldn't recall a memory of him ever telling anyone about God let alone dare to mention that he was a Christian. You just didn't do that in high school. In truth, he did a lot of things behind his parents back. He experimented with drugs, smoke, and drank for a while. Many times he came quickly back from school claiming he had to use the bathroom when he was really brushing his teeth multiple times to get the smell of stale liquor off his breath. In college, it was cool to drink so Tim did that for a while. Of course, he didn't do it now. Someone might judge him for that, and you never know how long it would last before someone would find out. It was all about keeping his reputation. He was always the model kid with all A's, attended church every Sunday Morning, Sunday Night, and Wednesday Night, pray a quick prayer, and squeeze in at least a chapter out of the Bible every day. Nowadays, he usually stuck to Psalms, came to church only because he was obligated to, and slept in lazily every day. He had a busy life as a computer programmer up until last week. He had been let go after the computer company had been dissolved by Microsoft. He had been living the past couple of weeks on some money he always kept in case of emergencies.  
  
He was done decorating for the revival and decided to get a drink. He looked around the building and when he was sure no one was looking, he grabbed a bottle of liquor out of his back pocket and drank. Okay, so I have closet hobbies, who doesn't?, he thought to himself. Looking at the bottle reminded him of his father who had drank during Vietnam. He quit soon after. He always said that that generation was a crazy one. Everyone was doing drugs and drinking. His father always seemed so perfect growing up so this stunned him. He wished he could talk to his parents now. Ever since they died in a car crash, nothing had been the same.  
  
  
  
"What is up with the people in this town?!?" Lucy Chambers said aloud to herself, hands clutching the steering wheel waiting for the precise moment.  
  
The 18-year old freshman at UCLA was stuck in a traffic jam. Well, what else do I expect for going away to college in one of the most populated cities in the U.S., Los Angeles, California. She smiled as she remembered the freaked-out look on her parents' faces when she gave them the news that she was moving to the West Coast for college. UCLA was the only major college that accepted her. Besides, she always wanted to move away from home and start a new life. She would visit often enough. I can't believe this! I have to work on a paper and I can't even make it back to my apartment to work on it because of some stupid music festival clogging up the roads downtown, she thought. While traffic was at a stand-still, she pulled her laptop out from the back seat. For a second, she caught herself admiring the top. She told her parents that she was "forced" to have some type of computer for college but in truth, she wanted it just as badly.  
  
Growing up, her family was one of the only ones in the state of New York that didn't have one computer. She loathed not being ahead in life but her parents were people to be considered "thrifty". They were the type that would never, ever bet on the stock market. They would never go gambling. So big purchases were few and far between. Her parents hadn't gone to college and that would be Lucy's future as well because they just didn't have the money. Lucy was frustrated with her family's income and seemed to not be able to get enough of money. She thought that was the end of her problems until her family became "religious nuts". They started telling Lucy to not worry about money so much. They told her that money is the root of all evil. If money is the root of all evil, then call me the devil, she had said. Of course, they were inconsolable after that remark. They started telling her all of these fables about how God came to earth and died for her sins. Lucy thought that they lost their minds. Her parents began to go to a local church and tried to get her to come. She refused on every occasion. All that just contributed to her wanting to get away. After high school graduation, she had saved up enough through odd jobs and working night shifts at grocery stores since 14 to earn her tuition. It had been hard work but she figured that at least 50%-75% of her wages went to that college fund. She decided to major in computer programming and maybe start her own web-based company some day or something.  
  
She opened up her laptop and worked on her paper as the traffic began to let up finally. 


	2. Moments before....

OT: Okay, time for chapter two. The Rapture should be comin' pretty soon. R/R PLEASE!!!  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
  
  
"Done and done!" Kyle said to himself, as he added in the last semicolon.  
  
He saved the files to the hard drive and to multiple disks. He yawned as he glanced once more at the headline, "Israel Bombing, Middle East War Continues." "By Kyle Taylor." Read the byline.  
  
He had written this article personally. Boy, did he love being the #1 writer on the 2nd most popular and successful paper in the entire state of New York. His paycheck was anything but meager as well. Many times, he had done interviews: Larry King Live and Nightline being the most notable. He had become as popular to New York as Superman to the United States. He always loved a challenge and was never biased until it came to religion. He thought of religion as for elderly people who only have a faint hope to lean on before they die or children who also believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause. Anyone with half a brain could register that with the hate and cahos in the world there is no way that there could be a loving higher being watching over everyone. Nothing annoyed him more than religious nuts trying to sell them on their cult with scare tactics. Telling him that one day, all the "good people" will be float up to heaven while all the heithens are left to face the wrath of this loving God. Nothing seemed more crazy to him.  
  
So, this article was conflicting. Pete was the boss though and he wanted his best stuff out there for this one so he relunctantly agreed. He would put all his findings into one article about the possibility of peace in the Middle East. Kyle hopped on a fully loaded 747 en route to Jerusalem. He made sure to outline the situation with the Dome of the Rock and the Jewish temple. He clearly stated how much this land meant to this faiths. He interviewed Jewish and Muslim leaders and heads of the government there. Then, it came. One of Israel's enemies bombed Israel. It was no doubt an unprovoked attack is what the Israeli leaders told Kyle. Yeah, right, Kyle thought, you spit in the face of them with all your customs. How can you say that it was unprovoked? Kyle took notes, telling himself to shut up every once in a while so he could stay in this neutral point of view. He had been so close to the bombsight that it scared him. He high-tailed it out of there before those zealous quacks got him killed!  
  
  
  
  
  
Tim walked around the youth room as the fresh alcohol settled in his stomach. He picked up a tract off the floor. He opened it and read the first couple of paragraphs. Disgusted, he threw it in the trash.  
  
"Lies," he said, low to himself, "I wonder who brought this piece of garbage in. This talks about having to be saved to go to Heaven. What is that? Why do all those people think that? Some people think that others are so gullible that they will believe whatever is written on paper. Everybody knows that if you do enough good things to outweigh the bad things than God will take you to Heaven. You don't have to get saved or accept Jesus into your heart or any of this stuff. You just pray and read the Bible and go to church. Then you will go to Heaven. That is it. You don't have to do anything too drastic or life-changing. You don't have to change your life for God. I remember my parents used to say that. They always had to be so perfect didn't they?"  
  
Tim scratched his head as he went into the gym and shot basketball.  
  
"I almost wish I didn't go to this church," he said to himself, "but my parents went here and how would that look to everyone. The problem with this church is that they never just leave you alone. They always make you answer questions like, 'How is God working in your life?'. What kind of question is that? I guess he is fine. He is fine on Sundays and Wednesdays but this talk of living some kind of holy life 24/7 is absurd. That just isn't possible. I have to be myself sometime. I'm a big man in the church. Why don't you talk to the weird people who aren't clean-shaven and show up in practically rags. The day I go to church in a tanktop is the day that they kick me out."  
  
Tim laughed to himself.  
  
"What about the cheap people who put in like a dollar in the offering plate? I put in exactly 10%. I even put in more sometimes." He said aloud.  
  
"Heathens. They sometimes even stand up in the middle of church and yell! How rude is that! Go back home and act like a religious zealot. This is church. Well, everyone knows where they are going."  
  
Lucy finished the last part of her paper and looked up. Traffic was still at a stand-still. It seemed to her that the cars barely moved at all in the time that she was working on her paper. She pulled back the thin wisps of hair as she focused on the road. C'mon, c'mon! I want to go home and sleep sometime tonight, she thought. At that she heard her cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Lucy. It's Mom."  
  
"Oh, hi Mom,"  
  
"Do you want to go to the Youth Revival at church next week."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Oh, won't you, honey? Just once?"  
  
"Mom, we've talked about this. I don't believe like you do."  
  
"Sweety, Jesus died for y-"  
  
Silence for a few seconds. A sound like she dropped something on the floor.  
  
"Mom? Mom?" 


	3. The Rapture

OT: WARNING: This is probably the most graphic chapter in the whole novel. This is tear-jerking stuff. Well, as I promised, Chapter 3 comes the Rapture.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Kyle yawned and looked around. Man, this place looks so empty at night, he thought. Kyle grabbed his coat and headed for the door when he was shocked by a serious of screams coming from outside.  
  
"What the---" he said, in reaction to the noise.  
  
Kyle dashed outside and almost got blindsided by a car flying off the road. Gosh, I could have sworn that there was no driver in there, he thought. A woman went up to Kyle, hysterical.  
  
"Somebody took my baby! Somebody took my baby! You have to help me find him. He was ride here and he disappeared." She said.  
  
"What?" Kyle said, in astonishment.  
  
"My baby," she said, pointing to her car with a busted fender and about a million dollar's worth of damages spralled on the sidewalk, "He was in his car seat and now he's gone!!!!!!"  
  
The lady slapped Kyle and held him by his collar.  
  
"You took him! You did! Tell me where you took him!"  
  
"Ma'am, calm down, okay? Everything will be all right. Now, maybe your husband had him the whole time and you just forgot." Kyle said, taking her hands off him.  
  
"NO!!! HIS CLOTHES ARE RIGHT THERE! SOMEBODY TOOK HIM! TELL ME!" she said, reaffirming her grip.  
  
"Ma'am, stay calm. I did not take your son!"  
  
The lady shoved Kyle onto the pavement and ran crazily through the streets. Kyle spotted a man across the street, lying in a pool of his own blood. The mere look at him caused a tear touch his eyebrows. He felt compelled to go up to the man. He knelt beside him. He pulled the man's head up to reveal multiple wounds. The man looked cross-eyed at him.  
  
"No...driver...he..he's gone. His clothes are.." He said.  
  
"Stay calm. I'm calling 911." Kyle said, pulling out his cell phone only to get a busy signal. When he glanced at him again, he was lifeless.  
  
"Oh, my gosh." Kyle choked out.  
  
Kyle looked around to him to reveal more car crashes and people strung everywhere either dead or close to it. Kyle scratched his head. What's going on?, he thought.  
  
He looked down the street and saw a man. He shot everywhere.  
  
"THE END OF THE WORLD!?! THE END OF THE WORLD! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! THEY'RE NOT TAKING ME NEXT! THEY'RE NOT!" he said.  
  
It was at that point that he directed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. The sickening thud of his body hitting the pavement like dead meat reduced him to tears.  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton laid his basketball down as he heard people coming into the church. There was such loud noise outside. He ran to the entrance of the youth builder taking the steps downstairs two by two with anticipation. He came to the bottom and turned to see a mob of people, some hurting, some dying, all crying. One man stepped up.  
  
"Can you give us answers?"  
  
Tim shook his head.  
  
"Answers to what?" Tim said.  
  
"To the disappearances."  
  
"Disappearances?"  
  
"People have been disappearing. I thought that the church might have answers.  
  
"Can..you..help.me? I was in a cab when it happened." A woman said, clutching her stomach and breathing deeply.  
  
"What's happened?" Tim said, rushing past them outside.  
  
He took one step outside and was stopped by a car still running. He looked inside and saw only clothes where the driver should have been. He walked around seeing nothing but debris and people dying all around. He walked up to the street and a man in a car got out and took a gun.  
  
"STAND BACK! STAND BACK!" he said, pointing the gun towards him. His eyes firey with rage.  
  
"Don't shoot!" he said, taking about 10 giant steps back.  
  
"Tell me who took my girlfriend."  
  
"What?" Tim choked out.  
  
"Who took my girlfriend?"  
  
"I.don't..know. What's going on here?"  
  
"Wrong answer." The man said, loading the gun.  
  
Tim barely ducked the first shot. He could literally feel the bullet graze his hair. He dashed behind the running car. The man fired shots wildly. Scared in fear as he hunched behind the car, he stole a glance at the clothes.  
  
"What is going on?" he said, out loud.  
  
He peeked at the man, reloading his gun for the second round. If I go into the church, he'll see me and I'm dead. What should I do? He's not giving up, he thought. The man caught him peeking thus Tim revealed his location. I'm a dead man, Tim thought. Tim had to think to breath. His air came in short gasps as he watched the man leisurely walk up to the car.  
  
"You know, I always wondered what it would be like when you know you are about to die. I guess we can find out eh, buddy? My name is George. Let's get acquainted, shall we?" George said.  
  
  
  
Lucy slapped the phone shut as her car took a jolt. The car behind her hit her. She looked in the rearview mirror to see that the car behind her had no driver. She looked closer in, stunned. Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw a car, bumbling through the forest at (she guessed) 60 MPH. It had no driver too! It hid the corner of the sidewalk and flew in mid-air landing on two cars in the street. On instinct, she put the car in reverse and turned right, driving through the woods avoiding trees as best as she can.  
  
Her mind raced with questions. What was going on? Where did those people go? There were only clothes in the seats? Am I dreaming?  
  
She finally reached daylight only to find cars sprawled everywhere. She didn't find the brakes in time. She hit the curb much in the same way as the massacre she just beheld and jumped two cars before landing in the middle of the third one. The whiplash affect sent her head into the back of the seat. The seat belt barely kept her from going through the windshield. The car continued. She drove as best as she could but Lucy was only subconscious. The car slid off the road many times. Through her slanted vision, she saw a blurred tree across the road. The car hit the tree with a smash and the limbs busted every fragment of glass in the windshield. Some glass cut various spots of Lucy's body. The car finally stopped. 


	4. Moments After.....

OT: Wow, what a bumpy ride, so far. I know the George thing is a little freaky and I promise to wrap it up soon. R/R PLEASE!!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
Kyle made his way through the wreckage back to his car and revved up the engine. He flew down the streets.  
  
I have to see it with my own eyes..I have to see if my parents are still here, he thought. He avoided everything he could finally making his way to their house. He let the car hit the doorsteps as he jumped out of the car with the engine still on. He ran through the house.  
  
"Mom? Dad?" Kyle said, in desparation.  
  
Sadly, he was met with udder silence. He became more afraid with every room he passed through. He went into his parents' bedroom, which he had been putting off. He looked and saw his mom's nightgown and his father's pajamas side by side on the bed. The television was still on now emitting a slow beeping sound as if symbolic to all the deaths he had just witnessed. Kyle fell to his knees and sobbed.  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton thought he would never be this afraid in his life. A virtual psycho aimed a gun at his face as he talked of his sick dreams.  
  
"Have you ever dreamed like me?" George asked.  
  
Tim stood silently.  
  
"Dreamed of dying? Dreamed of some kind of accident being your doom?" he continued.  
  
Tim didn't move a muscle.  
  
"Not going to talk, huh? You must be one of those silent types.  
  
Then, he looked at the gun.  
  
"Oh, is this thing freaking you out?" he said, innocently.  
  
All of a sudden, a sly grin came over his face.  
  
"Good." He added.  
  
George pointed the gun at his head.  
  
"Are you afraid?"  
  
Tim trembled, staring at the car.  
  
"I'm not even a dog but I can smell your fear, boy." George said, "Don't worry it will be all over soon enough." Tim didn't even want to think of what he meant by that. He flinched as George sat down beside him moving the gun to various positions.  
  
"I could be entertained by this little show for hours. I could use a little cheering up after what happened to me. All of my family and even my girlfriend disappeared. Sure, my family got on my nerves sometimes. Always treating me like trailer park trash. Always, trying to clean me up. Religious fanatics. Looking down on me for moving in with my girlfriend. Acted like it was sinful. We loved each other. Up until about last week, that is. Then, she started listening to those "Jesus freaks" as they call themselves. She started trying to change me. I told her I'm not as easily hypnotized as her. She got mad at me, telling me to listen to my parents. I walked out on her. I thought I never wanted to see her again until a few hours ago when she disappeared. I was thinking about it but now I know that I don't want to live. I'm not worth anything to anybody, not even to me. After my parents got into that cult of theirs, they hated me for not going along with everyone else. I use to think that a little alcohol would take all my problems away. Lately, that hasn't even been working. My family has taken everything from me so someone give me one good reason why I should live?" George said.  
  
George got up.  
  
"Well, at least now I won't go out alone, eh?" George said.  
  
  
  
Lucy Chambers woke up, groggy. Her new car had been wrecked in a matter of seconds. Lucy winced as she felt the gash in her forehead. Lucy climbed to the back seat and pulled out a white first-aid kit from behind the driver's seat. She got out a bottle of alcohol and poured it on the cut. Lucy gritted her teeth under the pain. Then, she wrapped a rather crude bandage over her head. She would have to get to a doctor, she knew but how could she in the middle of the end of the world. She just hoped that it wasn't anything serious. After a quick analyze, Lucy reasoned that she had just had a mild concussion. This is new. I hardly even had cuts when I was a kid. I've never broken a bone in my life, she thought. She put her head in her hands and cried.  
  
"It's happened," she said aloud to herself, "Just like Mom and Dad said. All the good people are gone and I'm left out."  
  
Lucy got out of the car and kicked it in the fender causing it to fall. How could I have been so stupid?, she thought. She looked around her revealing woods and more woods. All around her were woods. Now, I have no idea where I am. How will I ever get home?, she thought. She got down on her knees.  
  
"Well, God, if you're up there. I've never done this before. Just, please if you help me out of this, I will look into this being a Christian thing. Just please show me where to go. Amen." 


	5. A Narrow Escape

OT: George's undoing, this chapter? Maybe. Now, we are starting to get into the Revelation prophecy and the signs of the end times. R/R Please! Chapter five coming....now.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Kyle Taylor processed a dark black blur in his field of vision. Through a quick process of elimination, he realized that he had been staring at a tiny wisp of his hair for the past half-hour. He was now sitting in his parents' bedroom. When he had gone to college and then into business with his friend, he had never ever gone to visit his parents. Now, he just wished he could talk with his parents. See what they were up to. That was impossible now because for some reason people were disappearing left and right. For reasons, he couldn't say why.  
  
Now, Kyle found himself alone. It was nothing new to him, actually. He had been on his own since he was nineteen, but the feeling of knowing that if anything got really bad happened, his parents would be there. Well, it was a comfort. The feeling of that being gone overwhelmed him.  
  
He glanced once more at his parents' bed. He noticed something on his mother's nightgown that looked like a cross. He scooted closer to the bed and picked up the necklace. It was true that a cross was hanging on the gold chain. He had no idea that his parents were Christian. He looked to his father's pajamas and found a What Would Jesus Do bracelet. What?, he thought, They never told me that they were Christians. He looked in the drawer and found a Bible that looked to be read several times. He found a bookmark inside that had a prayer list on it. It read:  
  
Prayer List 2. Help my husband and I grow in faith. 3. Help us to read our Bible every night. 4. Help us to pray every night 5. Help us to have the courage to share the faith wherever we go. 6. Be with the prayer requests mentioned at church. 7. Help us to attend church faithfully. 8. Give us the words to witness to Kyle and tell him that we have become Christians.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton looked into the eyes of a madman. He was grinning from ear to ear. He had been held hostage through the night. Tim was still looking for answers for what had happened tonight. Even though, Tim was shaken by what had happened, he knew no one that had disappeared yet. That sliver of doubt held in the back of Tim's mind kept him anxious. George plainly had gone over the edge, though. He had listened to George tell his life story from practically birth. The more he heard, the more he was mollified by the man. He preferred George's ramblings to the silence. The sickening, deafening silence. Tim felt like he could be killed any minute. He had never felt so much fear.  
  
Tim sat in wait as George's handgun was trained on him. He had thought of about every plan imaginable to get out of this situation but he couldn't come up with a plan that was possible to work. Then, the answer was given to him.  
  
As if an unbelievable stroke of luck, the people in the church finally gathered enough courage to come out and see what happened.  
  
"Sir? " The older man was instantly silenced by George's handgun but this gave Tim the perfect opportunity. In the seconds that George's concentration was not on Tim, he formed a plan.  
  
"Get back in the church!" George yelled.  
  
The people seemed shocked in fear.  
  
"Did you hear me? Get back in the church NOW!"  
  
Tim baseball slid towards George and tripped him with his legs. As George fell, he shot wildly into the air. Tim had thought of stripping him of his weapon, but that would take too much time and he might not get out alive. So, he ran. He ran for his life, not looking back. Then, he heard more shots. Unfortunately, one struck the gas tank of the running car.  
  
  
  
  
  
Lucy Chambers looked around, rubbing her head wound. Glancing back at the car, she felt horrible for leaving it, but there was no way that she could ever drive it in its condition. She had never seen a car in a worse one. The front and back fenders were torn off, the headlights were busted, driver's plate ripped off, a gaping hole in the roof where it had been hit by a strong tree branch, no doubt. Looking inside, you would find the whole part of the car with the dashboard, the radio, and the cigarette lighter, had been torn to pieces. Even with all these damages, if she still wanted to drive it, she couldn't because the gear shift had been ripped off. So, she walked around and around. Many times during the walk, she thought she would never find home. Then, she finally reached a clearing.  
  
"I know this." She said, gasping for air from the walk, "This is the road that leads into the woods."  
  
Then, she realized where she had been when she came to. She had been miles into the woods. She was dumbfounded. I can't believe I walked that far, she thought, I couldn't do this. Then, she realized that that prayer might have just been answered. 


	6. Miracles

OT: Keep readin', keep reviewin' please!!!!!! Chapter six coming at ya!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
A confused Kyle Taylor sat in his parents' bedroom two days since the disappearances. He had cried himself to sleep the previous night without even knowing it. Sleeping on the floor was never pleasant for Kyle, but he didn't even notice.  
  
Kyle woke up with a startle. He seemingly was living a nightmare, and he hoped it was all a dream. One look around the room confirmed his worst fears.  
  
He now found himself more confused than anything. Just hours ago, he found out that his parents had disappeared and that they had been Christians for who knows how long (Kyle guessed a week or two by the prayer list) before then. What impact did this have? The journalist in Kyle wanted to know what was the reason behind the disappearances. Why did they happen? Kyle's heart just wallowed in self-pity.  
  
Ever since he went away for college, he hadn't had the greatest relationship with his parents. The problem was he had no relationship with them. He hadn't even seen them in months. They just seemed to be in their own world, and he was in his.  
  
So, why did the disappearances happen? Were my parents right? Did God call his church? No. No. No. No. I refuse to believe that there is a higher being. If there is really a loving God out there then why do bad things happen? Why would a loving God take the good people and leave the bad to face this kind of pain. For punishment? What is this, tough love? Then, if we don't fit under his jurisdiction of a "good person", we didn't get taken?  
  
Kyle took the Bible and threw it into his mother's large vanity mirror. It shattered the mirror into a thousand or more pieces. I have to get out of here. Too many memories, he thought. Before he left, he took his mother's Cross and his father's bracelet. He didn't know why.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton continued running until George's bullet hit that car's gas tank. The explosion nearly deafened Tim. It felt like he didn't even have ears. The ground under him seemed to rumble and he lost balance, falling hard on the pavement. Tim barely escaped the flames. Tim instantly turned to see the church torched. The car seemed to have been consumed in the flames. Kneeling on the pavement, Tim winced and held his legs. He moved to a sitting position and inspected the huge gash in his knee. It was bleeding badly.  
  
"I...need..help. I...have....to....find....somebody." Tim said, limping in search of help. He remembered another church that was near Born Again Community Church. He headed in that direction. After many tiny steps, he finally made it to the door. He looked at the church sign that said 'New Life Community Church'. He opened the door to find overturned pews and a cross that had been pulled down. He looked around and found no one. He hobbled inside the church, blood dripping on the carpet. Afraid he was going to pass out at the sight, he hurried. He finally made it to the bathroom and found a first- aid kit. He pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and doused the wound quickly and violently, in search of relief from the pain. Of course, that only caused the pain to come in violent sensations. As the alcohol bubbled, he let out a series of screams. It took him forever to clean the cut and wrap a crude bandage around it.  
  
When the pain finally subsided, he looked around the church to take his mind off what just happened. He leafed through different Sunday School rooms, finding coloring sheets and crayons in the Preschool Class, Teen Study Bibles in what was apparently, the Youth room, and found a video made for people who were left after the calling of Christ's church. He watched the movie for no other reason then he had nothing else to do. He was moved by the friendly reverend and how seriously he took the subject. The man carefully outlined many of the 109 prophecies of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. He talked of Jesus' predictions of his death, resurrection, and his second coming.  
  
After watching the movie, he was at a crossroads. Were the disappearances the calling of Christ's church? He hobbled into the sanctuary and found a Bible. Tim had always just read the Bible to read the Bible. He never read it to look for answers or anything. He mostly just put on an act so everyone accepted him as a "good person."  
  
He prayed aloud:  
  
"Dear God, if you exist, if you are up there somewhere, give me the answers to what happened. Help me to know, God. If you do exist, reveal yourself to me and help me to believe. Amen."  
  
Tim closed his eyes and opened the Bible. He then put his finger at a verse. When he opened his eyes, he realized he had opened to first Thessalonians 4: 13 and he read through 18. It read:  
  
"And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.  
  
I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all of the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.  
  
Tim did it again. This time, he opened to first Thessalonians 5:2 and read the verse.  
  
"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night."  
  
Tim did it again. This time, he opened to second Peter 3:10 and read that verse.  
  
"But the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment."  
  
Tim did it again. He landed on first John 1:5 and read through 10.  
  
"This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living with spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.  
  
If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."  
  
Tim did it once more and landed on John 3:16 and read through 17.  
  
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  
  
Tim was stunned that God had shown him all those scriptures by just variously opening the Bible. That was certainly a miracle. He went on and read more of the Bible in various places, mostly in the New Testament. Hours later, he decided to finally stop. Before he had read only what he felt he needed to, but now he had to pull himself away. He decided that with his new knowledge, there was no way that he was going to pass up Jesus' gift of Salvation. He got saved right then and there.  
  
  
  
As Lucy Chambers made her way into her downtown Los Angeles, she became fearful. The last time she was here, her car drove off the road, and she got a concussion. Who knows what would happen now? A car might go off the road in front of her. A madman might shoot. Who knows? She didn't even know what these disappearances were. All she knew to do was to follow her instinct.  
  
As she had walked, she had devised a plan to hop on the first plane she found to New York to see if her parents had disappeared. Lucy had reason to believe that they had after the conversation, but she just had to see it with her own eyes. She had no idea how she would get a plane to fly east. In the middle of the end of the world, who wanted to travel? Many pilots probably disappeared.  
  
The question lingered in Lucy's mind: What caused these people to just disappear out of their clothes? She began to think of her parents' beliefs. She became confused. If that was the truth, then why would a God, who is supposed to be so loving take these people's loved ones away from them and let them go through this?  
  
As she neared her apartment, she noticed a man yelling something on the side of the street. Some people stopped and talked for a while but left.  
  
When she got closer, she made out what he was saying, "Pilot! Pilot! Anywhere in the U.S.! Cheap prices! Pilot!" When she heard this, she ran up to him.  
  
"I need a pilot." Lucy said, panting.  
  
"Where?" The pilot said.  
  
"New York, ASAP."  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Cost isn't an object."  
  
"Done. Come with me."  
  
At any other time, she would never trust a complete stranger, but she just had to get to New York as soon as she could. She had to know if her parents disappeared or not. She just had to know.  
  
After a while of walking, Lucy began to get tired. After walking miles yesterday and today beyond her capacity, walking was hard. He finally led her to a very, small plane. It was definitely mean to be private. It was perfect.  
  
"I'd like the pay up front." The pilot said . "Okay, here." Lucy said, handing him her pocketbook, "Take as much as you want."  
  
The pilot took some money but left more than Lucy thought he would.  
  
"By the way, my name is Tom Patterson." The pilot said.  
  
"My name is Lucy Chambers." Lucy said.  
  
They both boarded the plane. Lucy got into her seat while Tom went through the standard takeoff procedure. Before she knew it, the rotor blades began to spin and the plane took off. 


	7. Signs of the Time

OT: Alright, now we are getting into Revelation scriptures! R/R PLEASE, by the way. This chapter features the return of an old character from chapter one! *Drums sound.* and now.on to the show.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
When Kyle hopped into his car outside, he was surprised that it still worked after the damages it just endured on the way over. When he was halfway home, his cell phone chirped. My cell phone works?, he thought.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Kyle. It's Pete."  
  
"Hey, Pete. What's wrong? You sound a little out of breath. What's going on?"  
  
"I got it."  
  
"Got what?'  
  
"Information."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The U.S. Government. They are trying to take advantage of the vanishings."  
  
"Huh? How?"  
  
"The U.S. Government is pushing one currency, and a lot of countries have already decided in favor of it."  
  
"What? That's impossible. There's not going to be one currency."  
  
"It's true, Kyle. I'd bet my life to it."  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
"The yen, the frank, the pound, the mark, all gone."  
  
"What have they decided to pass?"  
  
"The dollar."  
  
"No...there's...no..way."  
  
"Kyle, they are about to announce it live. You know who is behind this, don't you?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The new U.S. President, Andrew Jansin."  
  
"What about President Bush?"  
  
"Disappeared."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"He was just named the President?"  
  
"Yeah. That's the weird part. Apparently, he is pretty convincing. He is about to be on TV to announce it himself."  
  
"Television is on?"  
  
"For a couple of hours, yes. Every station is running the news, and I don't hear anyone complaining. I doubt we will be seeing regularly scheduled program for quite a while. They will be announcing the global currency every hour on the hour."  
  
"So, this Jansin guy is pushing a one world currency?"  
  
"Yeah. I have never heard a guy that felt so strongly about it."  
  
"Jansin?"  
  
"I know, I looked into it. Not American. He was born in Romania. Don't ask me where Andrew came from."  
  
"How is he President? The last time I had American History class, you had to be born in America to be President."  
  
"Like I said before, he must be pretty convincing."  
  
"I bet. How do you know all this? It's been two days since these disappearances occurred? Haven't you looked into your family?"  
  
"Kyle, my parents are dead. They were my only family. I might have a few aunts and uncles in Pittsburgh or something, but I've never known them. Basically, I have nobody to check on."  
  
"I wish I could say that."  
  
"Why? Oh, Kyle, they didn't!"  
  
"My.parents..."  
  
"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry."  
  
"...but hey, how do you know this stuff?"  
  
"I got friends in high places. Just keep this under your hat, will ya? I need time to get the paper started again. We have no clue how many staff workers disappeared. When we get started though, I will work all night if I have to. I want to blow these people out of the water. By then, we can have some security."  
  
"Pete? Why?"  
  
"Kyle, who knows how far this goes? We have to be safe. We need to meet as soon as possible."  
  
"Okay, Pete. Just stay safe. I want to see you again, dude."  
  
"Then, make it right now. I'm have to talk to you face to face. This could not be a secure phone line. I've probably already said too much."  
  
"Okay, I'm up for it. In the middle of the end of the world, where are we going to meet though?"  
  
"Why not the office?"  
  
"I'm on my way." Kyle said, making a U-turn, going back to the office.  
  
  
  
Tim Hamilton had never felt so energized in his entire life. He had seen teens get saved at Youth functions and he thought that they must feel incredible, but nothing compared to this. The only problem was that it wasn't before the rapture. How he wished that he hadn't waited for Jesus' wake up call to become saved! He could very well be in Heaven right now.  
  
Now, Tim wanted to know what was going to happen now. He read much of Revelation. Revelation was always a book he tried to stay away from in the Bible. Tim thought of it as scary and depressing. Now, he read it the most. He wanted to know what was to come.  
  
He learned that the Tribulation hasn't actually started yet. It doesn't start until a seven-year covenant for peace between Israel and the Antichrist is struck.  
  
Feeling the urge to tell everyone about Jesus and the reasons behind the disappearances, Tim went through the church, fixing it up.  
  
With a little organization, I could tell many people about Christ at the same time. I'm sure people will be looking for answers. I could set up a service and get the word out to people seeking answers. With a lot of study, I could be ready within one to two weeks. Hmm..this church might not have seen its last service yet after all, he thought.  
  
  
  
Many times in her life, Lucy Chambers had ridden on a plane. It wasn't a new feeling to her. She even preferred those long flights. Lucy felt that on a plane, you can get away from everyone. It is a perfect place to think about things. There's just something about looking out the window, knowing you are 25,000 feet in the air that makes you feel insignificant. This simple fact plagued her this day.  
  
She tossed and turned in her seat, desperately trying to go to sleep. She was trying to get her mind off the disappearances. Desperately trying to shake the thought of her parents' gone in thin air, she practically suffocated herself with her pillow. Then she sat up in her seat, knowing that an attempt at sleep was hopeless and futile at a time like this.  
  
Constantly, she thought of what she would do if her parents had disappeared. She just didn't know. Her future wasn't planned out yet. It was still a work-in-progress. Her parents were probably her greatest help whether she wanted to admit it or not. Regardless of the unrelenting attempts at converting her to their far-fetched religion, Lucy wouldn't be in college if it wasn't for their help, both financially, emotionally, and academically. Lucy always envied her friends' financial backing by their parents, though. That's what always separated Lucy and her parents. They always thought that God would provide if they had faith. Lucy found that ridiculous. Nothing can be earned without earning it yourself through hard work and determination. You can't just sit back and hope that some superior being will provide something. She wouldn't be in college if she thought that way.  
  
That was just one side of the coin, though. The other would be getting over the loss. Often, Lucy compared them being disappeared to them being dead. Tears streamed down Lucy's face. For some reason, she felt that they had disappeared. The sound that she heard on the phone and just an intuition. She just had to see for herself, though. 


End file.
